Will Nigel Jones have the secret weapon needed
to win the King Island race again?
Nigel has a long association with King Island having competed in this race over nine times. To date he still holds the race record of 10:08:04 hours set on Cadibarra 8, a 42ft Don Jones designed yacht which he skippered to victory in 2002. This race record has stood for ten years.
Cadibarra 8 was the last in a line of vessels designed by Don Jones for his own personal use. Nigel skippered his father's yacht, Cadiburra 8, for nine years and in the process grabbed a bag full of trophies including being the sole finisher in the 1999 West Coaster. He also holds the record for the Melbourne to Launceston race and the Melbourne to Hasting race.
Six years ago after Cadibarra 8 was sold, Nigel joined Peter Blake and Kate Mitchell on Goldfinger, a 50 ft Farr design. Goldfinger is entered in this years Melbourne to King Island race and with Nigel onboard Goldfinger may just have the edge that experience brings to win again. This is the first time Peter Blake and Kate Mitchell have entered this race since purchasing Goldfinger in 2005. It is also the first time Nigel has sailed with Peter and Kate to Grassy. So there are a lot of 'firsts'.
Nigel Jones on the wheel of Goldfinger in the 2011 Winter Series (Photo courtesy of John Curnow)
In 2002 the Melbourne to King Island race was the first clash in the ocean between the two Don Jones designed boats, Cadibarra 8 and Kontrol (previously known as Cadibarra 7) . On paper, Kontrol was the faster boat in the ocean. Back then, new owner and skipper Peter Blake had some alterations done including the addition of a 3ft false bow. However, on Cadibarra 8, Nigel and his crew were the first to pioneer the use of weather routing computer software in Victorian ocean races. That year the computer prediction for the Grassy race was spot on and helped to get Cadibarra 8 into Grassy first, just ahead of Kontrol. Interestingly in that same year, Kontrol (nee Cadibarra 7) was also inside the previous record.
Latest weather reports predict the wind coming in from the south for this weekends race. Nigel hopes the wind will be on the nose rather than the earlier predictions of perfect reaching conditions in a moderate north easter. Nigel added “this will favour Goldfinger to beat the other contenders and still preserve my race record”. Only time will tell if the combination of Nigel Jones - now sailing for the first time to Grassy with Peter Blake - aboard Goldfinger as it makes it first race to Grassy, will again have a secret weapon to win!
Cadibarra 8 holds the 10 year race record for the King Island race of 10:08:04hrs set in 2002
Jennifer Cook, ORCV Media Manager
Ph: 0400 108 239
Ninety Seven will again be a starter in this years Melbourne to King Island race. Image John Cunow
